Can you define what complexity in a cigar means to you?

It seems that I smoke a lot of good cigars - that is, a consistent, tasty flavor profile which is pretty much one dimensional for the entire cigar. Granted, the profile is good and I am not complaining, but this can get a little boring. 

I'm looking for the great cigars where transitions hit you like a freight train and the flavor profile keeps your attention, like fishing, if you blink you may miss that hit. 

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What are your great cigars that really do it for you in the complexity department?  

QuoteSilverstix - 7/10/2018  8:57 AM

What are your great cigars that really do it for you in the complexity department? 

Shhhh . . . we keep these a secret!  Otherwise everyone will buy them and the supply will dry up.  

QuoteBrlesq - 7/10/2018  9:24 AM  

QuoteSilverstix - 7/10/2018  8:57 AM  What are your great cigars that really do it for you in the complexity department? 

Shhhh . . . we keep these a secret!  Otherwise everyone will buy them and the supply will dry up.      

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This is an interesting question. The term complexity is thrown around a lot in the culinary industry as well with most people having very little understanding of what exactly it is. In the food industry to me complexity in a dish is where a flavor profile is comprised of numerous layers of flavor, some very obvious and forward some more nuanced. All the various flavor elements of the dish work and marry together to create a balanced and multi faceted flavor profile and experience. I think the same concept applies to cigars.

QuoteBrlesq - 7/10/2018  9:24 AM  

QuoteSilverstix - 7/10/2018  8:57 AM  What are your great cigars that really do it for you in the complexity department? 

Shhhh . . . we keep these a secret!  Otherwise everyone will buy them and the supply will dry up.      

 Exactly Bruce...I jumped from the "one track" tobacco flavor to the multi track a decade ago.  When you find complex cigars which can be....wood, spice, leather, cream and pepper it just makes for a little cigar journey as the flavors will mix together and you can isolate them when they "pop" and for me that is what makes this hobby fun.  Finding a complex medium to full bodied is my favorite because you can let it rest for 6 months to a year and the flavors will marry and balance even more.

Now there's a question with plenty of complexity. When it comes to taste and the complexity of taste, I feel that there are so many variables at play. Consider this:

Does each leaf of tobacco used in a cigar have its own complexity or is it only one taste and it's the blend alone that makes it complex.

Do the transitions of taste occur only because of the tobacco or the tobacco blend, or do they occur because of what's going on chemically in your mouth, mentally in your head, or is it a part of all three.

If you smoked a five pack, one a day every morning with the same beverage, would the taste be the same each time.

Can your mood, the location, the setting, the company, the beverage, the food you just ate alter, enhance, or affect your perceptions of taste.

What about the price you pay for a cigar, or the hype, or the look of the cigar, can any of those expectations influence perceived tastes. Can a cigar taste good or bad because you think it should.

When it comes to food, how many people are out there who say they hate this or that and yet love a dish that contains those very ingredients unknown to them. Would they still love the dish if they knew beforehand it's ingredients.

I think the mind is so powerful when it comes to taste. The variables themselves are vastly complex and numerous. The awesome cigar I had today may not be so awesome on another day, and visa versa. If I did not have have a cigar for months on end because I was stranded on a deserted island, a White Owl would taste fantastic! I also think the best reviews of a cigar are the blind ones.

Think of a good pot of gumbo compared to a can of chicken noodle soup.  Complexity in a cigar is like the marriage of flavors in the gumbo vs the one-dimensionality of the chicken soup.

Quotejunglepete - 7/10/2018  11:56 AM  Now there's a question with plenty of complexity. When it comes to taste and the complexity of taste, I feel that there are so many variables at play. Consider this:  Does each leaf of tobacco used in a cigar have its own complexity or is it only one taste and it's the blend alone that makes it complex.  Do the transitions of taste occur only because of the tobacco or the tobacco blend, or do they occur because of what's going on chemically in your mouth, mentally in your head, or is it a part of all three.  If you smoked a five pack, one a day every morning with the same beverage, would the taste be the same each time.   Can your mood, the location, the setting, the company, the beverage, the food you just ate alter, enhance, or affect your perceptions of taste.  What about the price you pay for a cigar, or the hype, or the look of the cigar, can any of those expectations influence perceived tastes. Can a cigar taste good or bad because you think it should.  When it comes to food, how many people are out there who say they hate this or that and yet love a dish that contains those very ingredients unknown to them. Would they still love the dish if they knew beforehand it's ingredients.  I think the mind is so powerful when it comes to taste. The variables themselves are vastly complex and numerous. The awesome cigar I had today may not be so awesome on another day, and visa versa. If I did not have have a cigar for months on end because I was stranded on a deserted island, a White Owl would taste fantastic! I also think the best reviews of a cigar are the blind ones.  

 

It's all very interesting to say the least. 

Totally agree about the blind reviews.  We should do more of them here on CG, I did one back in December and it was a fun experience.